Okay, it’s been a couple of years since Generative AI burst onto the scene, and if you’re still feeling like you’re playing catch-up, don’t sweat it!
To help you (and maybe remind us) how this Generative AI actually works, we checked our saved lists for five videos that we think are a great place to start. Consider this your friendly beginner’s guide to navigating the Generative AI landscape, two years in – with minimal tech jargon.
Generative AI in a Nutshell - Henrik Kniberg
17:56 – 3,064,000 views
Summary: This video explains Generative AI as a technology enabling computers to learn, think, and communicate like humans. It covers how large language models work, different types of generative AI models (text-to-image, etc.), the importance of prompt engineering, and the evolving role of humans in the age of AI.
Reason for Recommendation: Since it’s release in January of 2024, it’s amassed over 3 million views, 110,000 likes and over 3400 comments. This video offers a more comprehensive overview, discussing not only the technology but also its implications for individuals and businesses. It emphasizes the practical aspects of using generative AI and encourages a proactive mindset.
Who is Henrik Kniberg: Henrik is a Chief Scientist and co-founder at Ymnig AI, where he leads the development of their platform for autonomous AI agents.
What is Generative AI - KI Campus
2:02 – 272k views
Summary: This video provides a very brief introduction to Generative AI, explaining that it involves AI creating new content like text, images, and music based on user prompts. It touches on the process, capabilities, potential misuses, and the importance of thoughtful prompting.
We recommend it because: It may be only 2:02 long, but this video is excellent for a very quick, high-level understanding of what Generative AI is. It’s a good starting point for someone completely new to the concept due to its concise and simple language.
What is the KI Campus: The KI (German for AI – Künstliche Intelligenz) Campus is the learning platform for artificial intelligence with free online courses, videos and podcasts in various topics of AI and data literacy. As an R&D project, the AI Campus is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The Stifterverband, the Charité, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW), the FernUniversität in Hagen, the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI), the Humboldt University of Berlin, the mmb Institute and NEOCOSMO are developing the AI Campus together with numerous partners.
AI, Machine Learning, Deep Learning & Generative AI Explained - Jeff Crume
10:00 – 1.4 million views
Summary: This video explains the hierarchy and relationship between AI, machine learning, deep learning, and generative AI. It clarifies how generative AI, leveraging foundation models, can create new content and highlights its increasing adoption.
Reason for Recommendation: This video is beneficial for understanding how Generative AI fits into the broader landscape of artificial intelligence. It helps clarify the different terms often used in the field and provides a good foundational understanding.
Who is Jeff Crume: Jeff Crume is a Distinguished Engineer, Master Inventor, and CTO for IBM Security Americas with over 40 years of experience in the IT industry.
What are Generative AI models? - IBM expert Kate Soule
8:46 – 1 million+ views
Summary: This video focuses specifically on generative AI models, explaining the concept of foundation models and how they differ from traditional AI models. It discusses their advantages in performance and productivity, as well as their disadvantages like computational cost and trustworthiness concerns. It also highlights various applications of foundation models beyond language.
Reason for Recommendation: This video is useful for understanding the underlying models that power generative AI. It provides insights into the capabilities and limitations of these models, which is important for a deeper understanding of the technology.
Who is Kate Soule: Kate Soule is a Director at IBM Research, where she’s in charge of Technical Product Management for their Granite family of Large Language Models. With a career deeply rooted in the world of AI, she focuses on bridging the gap between cutting-edge AI advancements and their real-world impact on businesses.
The Turing Lectures: What is generative AI? - Mirella Lapata
1:20:56 – 77k views
Summary: This engaging Turing Lecture presented by Mirella Lapata, titled “What is Generative AI?”, provides an accessible explanation of generative AI, addressing its history, how it works (focusing on language modeling), its scaling and fine-tuning, and the associated risks and future directions. The lecture covers the evolution of generative AI from earlier forms like Google Translate to more recent sophisticated models like GPT-4. It delves into the core technology of predicting the next word using neural networks trained on vast amounts of internet text data.
Reason for Recommendation: This video is highly recommended for anyone seeking a comprehensive yet understandable introduction to Generative AI. Delivered as a Turing Lecture, it offers a well-structured and insightful overview of the field, moving beyond the hype to explain the fundamental concepts and challenges. The lecture balances historical context with explanations of current technologies and future implications, making it valuable for both beginners and those with some existing knowledge.
Who is Professor Mirella Lapata: Mirella Lapata is a professor of natural language processing in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses
So, there you have it – our current top five picks for getting to grips with Generative AI! But hey, we’re always eager to learn more. If you have a favorite Generative AI explainer video that blew your mind, send us a link – we’d love to check it out. Happy Prompting!
Randall J. Matheson
Randy Matheson is an innovation strategist with a 25+ year proven track record of turning ideas into digital products. He specializes in working with Generative AI for content creation and using cutting-edge AI tools to create and interact with virtual audiences. He operates out Hamilton, Ontario where he resides with his partner and two large dogs.